PARTY PLANNING TO THE LETTER!

by Emily Webb

A B C D E

Attendees

Create a guest list for the people you plan to invite. Consider what number makes sense for the age of your child and ask your child who he absolutely wants to invite. Make sure your child’s best friend is free before you set the date. Check in with your child’s day care or school to find out who his friends are. Some schools may have a rule about passing out invitations—if you’re going to do it in class, you may be expected to invite everyone. As kids age, the number of friends they want to invite may go down to their closest friends. If you’re not inviting the whole class, the rule of thumb is to ask as many kids as your child’s age, plus one.

Budget

Before the party planning begins, create a budget and stick to it. It can be tempting to go all out, but your child and her friends will have tons of fun without you having to shell out the big bucks for the best and biggest items. And, if it’s one of those milestone birthdays you think deserves a bigger budget, go for it!

Cake

If you’re feeling up to it, you can make the cake yourself. Or if you have a relative who’d love to help, you can ask her to make the cake. You can also make it easier on yourself by not serving a full sheet cake, and instead making birthday cake kabobs, cake pops or cupcakes.

However, it might be easier to order a showstopper cake and put the creation in someone else’s hands. Make sure bakeries (even at grocery stores) have plenty of time to make your cake. Some fantastic bakeries in the metro area include: Nothing Bundt Cakes (nothingbundtcakes.com); Baker’s Man Inc. (bakersmaninc.com); Cakes by Darcy (cakesbydarcy.com); Cake Hag (cakehag.com); Piece of Cake (pieceofcakeinc.com); Mae’s Bakery (maesbakeryatl.com); Henri’s Bakery & Deli (henrisbakery.com) and Sugar Benders Bakery & Café (sugarbendersbakery.com).

Décor

There are tons of décor items you can use to jazz up the party space: streamers, tablecloths, centerpieces, birthday banners or signs, party hats, confetti and ribbons. Buy only a few themed decorations. You can mix colored decorations with themed ones; that way, you’ll get more out of generic decorations you can reuse for other parties. Consider making or buying paper decorations, such as paper pompoms. A piñata doubles as a décor item and an activity for later in the party. At an at-home party, keep kids from wandering around by defining the party area with streamers.

Evites

Ordering or designing invitations online can save time, money and waste. It can also create fewer hurt feelings, as your child is not handing out invitations in the middle of class. Send invites out three weeks before the party, and include the date, location, time (including drop-off and pickup times), RSVP information and any items guests will need to bring. Consider these services: ECHOage (echoage.com); Minted (minted.com); Snapfish (snapfish.com); Paperless Post (paperlesspost.com); Evite (evite.com); Greetings Island (greetingsisland.com); Etsy (etsy.com); Punchbowl (punchbowl.com) and Shutterfly (shutterfly.com).

FFavors

Don’t overdo it. Most kids are not at the party for what you can give them! Consider items that relate to the party theme, such as character-themed stickers or temporary tattoos, finger paint, a beach pail or beach towel, dinosaur figurines or washcloth puppets. You can also purchase party favor sets or kits for an activity the guests can take home or buy pre-filled party bags.

GGames

Games are a must for athome parties, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Stick to the classics, just change what they’re called based on the theme: Simon Says becomes Princess Says, Musical Chairs is Musical Towels for a pool party or Pin the Trunk on the Elephant for a jungle party. Other favorites include BINGO, Freeze Dance, Egg Relay Race or Three-Legged Race, Charades or Pictionary or Water Balloon Toss. Utilize your backyard to set up an obstacle course, lawn games, cornhole or giant Jenga.

HHome Party

If you’re having the party at your home, keep these things in mind for your schedule: l Three Days Out: Confirm that helpers will show up; and finalize all props and music needed for games and crafts. l Two Days Out: Make food that’ll keep or freeze; check the house for safety hazards; and put away any special breakables. l One Day Out: Bake or pick up cake. l Six Hours Out: Pick up last-minute items; clean up clutter; and put away any special items not used for the party. l Four Hours Out: Decorate house. l Three Hours Out: Make final food and game preparations. l One Hour Out: Set table; and dress yourself and your children. l 30 Minutes Out: Have helpers arrive and explain the schedule and their basic responsibilities; and put out materials for first activity or game.

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